When Should You Put an Idea into Practice?

A better solution is also judged by its side effects

At the end of the creative process, you have a proposal that seems like an improvement. Now you need to decide whether to implement it, revise it, or keep the existing approach. Not everything new adds value, and not everything old is broken.

Compare four options: keep things as they are, make a small improvement, combine proven elements, or replace the approach entirely. For each one, ask who it will help, whose work it might complicate, and what additional costs it could create.

For example, you introduce automatic reminders for customers. They could reduce the number of missed appointments, but they could also overwhelm people with messages. A good proposal therefore looks at frequency, customization options, and how errors will be handled. Assess the improvement across the whole system, not just by one appealing metric.

For a bigger change, set a short pilot period and success measures. Include not only the intended benefit but also a warning sign—for example, an increase in complaints or administrative work. Decide in advance who will evaluate the results and who can decide to revert the change.

If a test doesn’t confirm the benefit, you don’t have to treat the project as a failure right away. Perhaps it needs adjustment; perhaps the original approach worked better. Being willing to keep a solution that works is also part of creative judgment.

Try it out: For one proposal, write down the expected benefit, possible side effects, the smallest safe test, and the criterion you’ll use to accept or reject the change. This connects an idea to a decision.